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Sargon of Akkad (; akk, ''Šarrugi''), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the
Akkadian Empire The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one r ...
, known for his conquests of the
Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of ...
ian
city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
s in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.The date of the reign of Sargon is highly uncertain, depending entirely on the (conflicting) regnal years given in the various copies of the
Sumerian King List The ''Sumerian King List'' (abbreviated ''SKL'') or ''Chronicle of the One Monarchy'' is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian that was likely created and redacted to legitimize the claims to power of various city-states and king ...
, specifically the uncertain duration of the
Gutian dynasty The Gutian dynasty, also Kuti or Kutians ( Sumerian: , gu-ti-umKI) was a dynasty, originating among the Gutian people, that came to power in Mesopotamia ''c.'' 2199—2119 BC ( middle), or possibly ''c.'' 2135—2055 BC ( short), after displacin ...
. The added regnal years of the Sargonic and the Gutian dynasties have to be subtracted from the accession of Ur-Nammu of the
Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur, also called the Neo-Sumerian Empire, refers to a 22nd to 21st century BC ( middle chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state which some historians consider t ...
, which is variously dated to either 2047 BC (
Short Chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
) or 2112 BC ( Middle Chronology). An accession date of Sargon of 2334 BC assumes: (1) a Sargonic dynasty of 180 years (fall of Akkad 2154 BC), (2) a Gutian interregnum of 42 years and (3) the Middle Chronology accession year of Ur-Nammu (2112 BC).
He is sometimes identified as the first person in
recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...
to rule over an
empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
. He was the founder of the "Sargonic" or "Old Akkadian" dynasty, which ruled for about a century after his death until the Gutian conquest of Sumer. The
Sumerian king list The ''Sumerian King List'' (abbreviated ''SKL'') or ''Chronicle of the One Monarchy'' is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian that was likely created and redacted to legitimize the claims to power of various city-states and king ...
makes him the cup-bearer to king Ur-Zababa of Kish. His empire is thought to have included most of
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
, parts of the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
, besides incursions into
Hurrian The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Norther ...
and Elamite territory, ruling from his (archaeologically as yet unidentified) capital, Akkad (also ''Agade''). Sargon appears as a legendary figure in Neo-Assyrian literature of the 8th to 7th centuries BC. Tablets with fragments of a ''Sargon Birth Legend'' were found in the Library of Ashurbanipal.


Name

The
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to: * Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire * Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language * Akkadian literature, literature in this language * Akkadian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic ...
name is normalized as either ''Šarru-ukīn'' or ''Šarru-kēn''. The name's cuneiform spelling is variously LUGAL-''ú-kin'', ''šar-ru-gen''6, ''šar-ru-ki-in'', ''šar-ru-um-ki-in''. In Old Babylonian tablets relating the legends of Sargon, his name is transcribed as (''Šar-ru-um-ki-in''). In Late Assyrian references, the name is mostly spelled as LUGAL-GI.NA or LUGAL-GIN, i.e. identical to the name of the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II.Eckart Frahm
"Observations on the Name and Age of Sargon II and on Some Patterns of Assyrian Royal Onomastics"
''NABU'' 2005.2, 46–50.
The spelling ''Sargon'' is derived from the single mention of the name (in reference to Sargon II) in the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Isaiah 20:1. The first element in the name is '' šarru'', the Akkadian (East Semitic) for "king" (c.f. Hebrew ''sár'' ). The second element is derived from the verb ''kīnum'' "to confirm, establish" (related to Hebrew ''kūn'' ). A possible interpretation of the reading ''Šarru-ukīn'' is "the king has established (stability)" or "he he godhas established the king". Such a name would however be unusual; other names in ''-ukīn'' always include both a subject and an object, as in ''Šamaš-šuma-ukīn'' " Shamash has established an heir". There is some debate over whether the name was an adopted regnal name or a birth name. The reading ''Šarru-kēn'' has been interpreted adjectivally, as "the king is established; legitimate", expanded as a phrase ''šarrum ki(e)num''. The terms "Pre-Sargonic" and "Post-Sargonic" were used in Assyriology based on the chronologies of Nabonidus before the historical existence of Sargon of Akkad was confirmed. The form ''Šarru-ukīn'' was known from the Assyrian Sargon Legend discovered in 1867 in Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. A contemporary reference to Sargon thought to have been found on the cylinder seal of Ibni-sharru, a high-ranking official serving under Sargon. Joachim Menant published a description of this seal in 1877, reading the king's name as ''Shegani-shar-lukh'', and did not yet identify it with "Sargon the Elder" (who was identified with the Old Assyrian king Sargon I). In 1883, the British Museum acquired the "mace-head of Shar-Gani-sharri", a votive gift deposited at the temple of Shamash in Sippar. This "Shar-Gani" was identified with the Sargon of Agade of Assyrian legend. The identification of "Shar-Gani-sharri" with Sargon was recognised as mistaken in the 1910s. Shar-Gani-sharri (
Shar-Kali-Sharri Shar-Kali-Sharri (, '' DShar-ka-li-Sharri''; reigned c. 2217–2193 BC middle chronology, c. 2153–2129 BC short chronology) was a king of the Akkadian Empire. Rule Succeeding his father Naram-Sin in c. 2217 BC, he came to the throne in an age ...
) is, in fact, Sargon's great-grandson, the successor of Naram-Sin. It is not entirely clear whether the Neo-Assyrian king Sargon II was directly named for Sargon of Akkad, as there is some uncertainty whether his name should be rendered ''Šarru-ukīn'' or as ''Šarru-kēn(u)''.


Chronology

Primary sources pertaining to Sargon are sparse; the main near-contemporary reference is that in the various versions of the ''
Sumerian King List The ''Sumerian King List'' (abbreviated ''SKL'') or ''Chronicle of the One Monarchy'' is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian that was likely created and redacted to legitimize the claims to power of various city-states and king ...
''. Here, Sargon is mentioned as the son of a gardener, former cup-bearer of Ur-Zababa of Kish. He usurped the kingship from Lugal-zage-si of
Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Muthanna Governorate, Al ...
and took it to his own city of Akkad. Note that the Weidner chronicle has Sargon ruling sirectly afer Ur-Zababa and does not mention Lugal-zage-si. Various copies of the king list give the duration of his reign as either 54, 55 or 56 years. Numerous fragmentary inscriptions relating to Sargon are also known. In absolute years, his reign would correspond to c. 2334–2279 BC in the middle chronology. His successors until the Gutian conquest of Sumer are also known as the "Sargonic Dynasty" and their rule as the "Sargonic Period" of Mesopotamian history. Foster (1982) argued that the reading of 55 years as the duration of Sargon's reign was, in fact, a corruption of an original interpretation of 37 years. An older version of the king list gives Sargon's reign as lasting for 40 years. Thorkild Jacobsen marked the clause about Sargon's father being a gardener as a lacuna, indicating his uncertainty about its meaning. Ur-Zababa and Lugal-zage-si are both listed as kings, but separated by several additional named rulers of Kish, who seem to have been merely governors or vassals under the Akkadian Empire. The claim that Sargon was the original founder of Akkad has been called into question with the discovery of an inscription mentioning the place and dated to the first year of
Enshakushanna Enshakushanna ( sux, , ), or Enshagsagana, En-shag-kush-ana, Enukduanna, En-Shakansha-Ana, En-šakušuana was a king of Uruk around the mid-3rd millennium BC who is named on the '' Sumerian King List'', which states his reign to have been 60 year ...
, who almost certainly preceded him. The ''Weidner Chronicle'' ( ABC 19:51) states that it was Sargon who "built Babylon in front of Akkad." The '' Chronicle of Early Kings'' (ABC 20:18–19) likewise states that late in his reign, Sargon "dug up the soil of the pit of Babylon, and made a counterpart of Babylon next to Agade." Van de Mieroop suggested that those two chronicles may refer to the much later Assyrian king, Sargon II of the
Neo-Assyrian Empire The Neo-Assyrian Empire was the fourth and penultimate stage of ancient Assyrian history and the final and greatest phase of Assyria as an independent state. Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew ...
, rather than to Sargon of Akkad. Some of the regnal year names of Sargon are preserved, and throw some light in the events of his reign, particularly the conquest of the surrounding territories of Simurrum, Elam and Mari, and Uru'a, thought to be a city in Elam:


Historiography

''Šar-ru-gi lugal'' "King Sargon") appears faintly in front of his face. Clothing is comparable to those seen on the cylinder seal of Kalki, in which appears the likely brother of Sargon. Circa 2300 BC. Louvre Museum. Numerous other inscriptions related to Sargon are known.


Language and script used in records

Sargon appears to have promoted the use of Semitic (Akkadian) in inscriptions. He frequently calls himself "king of Akkad" first, after he apparently founded the city of Akkad. He appears to have taken over the rule of Kish at some point, and later also much of Mesopotamia, referring to himself as "Sargon, king of Akkad, overseer of Inanna, king of Kish, anointed of
Anu , image=Detail, upper part, Kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125-1104 BCE. British Museum.jpg , caption=Symbols of various deities, including Anu (bottom right corner) on a kudurru of Ritti-Marduk, from Sippar, Iraq, 1125–1104 BCE , ...
, king of the land esopotamia governor ( ensi) of
Enlil Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Ba ...
". During Sargon's reign, East Semitic was standardized and adapted for use with the
cuneiform script Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-s ...
previously used in the Sumerian language into what is now known as the "
Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language t ...
". A style of
calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined ...
developed in which text on clay tablets and cylinder seals was arranged amidst scenes of mythology and ritual.''Britannica''


Year names

While various copies of the Sumerian king list credit Sargon with a 56, 55, or 54-year reign, dated documents have been found for only four different year-names of his actual reign. The names of these four years describe his campaigns against Elam, Mari, Simurrum (a Hurrian region), and Uru'a (an Elamite city-state).


Nippur inscription

Among the most important sources for Sargon's reign is a tablet of the Old Babylonian period recovered at
Nippur Nippur ( Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian: ''Nibbur'') was an ancient Sumerian city. It was ...
in the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
expedition in the 1890s. The tablet is a copy of the inscriptions on the pedestal of a statue erected by Sargon in the temple of
Enlil Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Ba ...
. Its text was edited by Arno Poebel (1909) and Leon Legrain (1926).


Conquest of Sumer

In the inscription, Sargon styles himself "Sargon, king of Akkad, overseer (''mashkim'') of Inanna, king of Kish, anointed (''guda'') of Anu, king of the land esopotamia governor (''ensi'') of Enlil". It celebrates the conquest of
Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Muthanna Governorate, Al ...
and the defeat of Lugalzagesi, whom Sargon brought "in a collar to the gate of Enlil":Mario Liverani, ''The Ancient Near East: History'', Routledge (2013)
p. 143
Kramer 196
p. 324
Kuhrt, Amélie, ''The Ancient Near East: c. 3000–330 B.C.'', Routledge 1996 , p. 4

/ref> Sargon then conquered Ur and E-Ninmar and "laid waste" the territory from Lagash to the sea, and from there went on to conquer and destroy Umma:


Conquest of Upper Mesopotamia, as far as the Mediterranean sea

Submitting himself to the (Levantine god) Dagan, Sargon conquered territories of Upper Mesopotamia and the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
, including Mari, Yarmuti ( Jarmuth?) and Ibla "up to the Cedar Forest (the Amanus) and up to the Silver Mountain ( Aladagh?)", ruling from the "upper sea" (Mediterranean) to the "lower sea" (Persian Gulf).


Conquests of Elam and Marhashi

Sargon also claims in his inscriptions that he is "Sargon, king of the world, conqueror of Elam and
Parahshum Marhaši ( Sumerian: ''Mar-ḫa-šiKI'' , ''Marhashi'', ''Marhasi'', ''Parhasi'', ''Barhasi''; in earlier sources Waraḫše. Akkadian: "Parahshum" ''pa2-ra-ah-shum2-ki'') was a 3rd millennium BC polity situated east of Elam, on the Iranian platea ...
", the two major polities to the east of Sumer. He also names various rulers of the east whom he vanquished, such as " Luh-uh-ish-an, son of Hishibrasini, king of Elam, king of Elam" or "Sidga'u, general of Parahshum", who later also appears in an inscription by Rimush. Sargon triumphed over 34 cities in total. Ships from Meluhha, Magan and
Dilmun Dilmun, or Telmun, ( Sumerian: , later 𒉌𒌇(𒆠), ni.tukki = DILMUNki; ar, دلمون) was an ancient East Semitic-speaking civilization in Eastern Arabia mentioned from the 3rd millennium BC onwards. Based on contextual evidence, it was ...
, rode at anchor in his capital of Akkad. He entertained a court or standing army of 5,400 men who "ate bread daily before him".


Sargon Epos

A group of four Babylonian texts, summarized as "Sargon Epos" or ''Res Gestae Sargonis'', shows Sargon as a military commander asking the advice of many subordinates before going on campaigns. The narrative of ''Sargon, the Conquering Hero,'' is set at Sargon's court, in a situation of crisis. Sargon addresses his warriors, praising the virtue of heroism, and a lecture by a courtier on the glory achieved by a champion of the army, a narrative relating a campaign of Sargon's into the far land of ''Uta-raspashtim'', including an account of a "darkening of the Sun" and the conquest of the land of ''Simurrum'', and a concluding oration by Sargon listing his conquests. The narrative of '' King of Battle'' relates Sargon's campaign against the Anatolian city of
Purushanda Purushanda (also variously Puruskhanda, Purushhattum or Burushattum) was an Anatolian kingdom of the early second millennium prior to the common era. It was conquered by the Hittites sometime between 1650–1556 BCE. Etymology The name is written ...
in order to protect his merchants. Versions of this narrative in both Hittite and Akkadian have been found. The Hittite version is extant in six fragments, the Akkadian version is known from several manuscripts found at Amarna, Assur, and Nineveh. The narrative is anachronistic, portraying Sargon in a 19th-century milieu. The same text mentions that Sargon crossed the Sea of the West (
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
) and ended up in Kuppara, which some authors have interpreted as the Akkadian word for Keftiu, an ancient locale usually associated with Crete or
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
. Famine and war threatened Sargon's empire during the latter years of his reign. The ''Chronicle of Early Kings'' reports that revolts broke out throughout the area under the last years of his overlordship: A. Leo Oppenheim translates the last sentence as "From the East to the West he .e. Mardukalienated (them) from him and inflicted upon (him as punishment) that he could not rest (in his grave)."


''Chronicle of Early Kings''

Shortly after securing Sumer, Sargon embarked on a series of campaigns to subjugate the entire
Fertile Crescent The Fertile Crescent ( ar, الهلال الخصيب) is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan, together with the northern region of Kuwait, southeastern region of ...
. According to the '' Chronicle of Early Kings'', a later Babylonian historiographical text: In the east, Sargon defeated four leaders of Elam, led by the king of
Awan Awan may refer to: Places * Awan (ancient city), a city-state in Elam in the 3rd millennium BCE * Awan (region), a town in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, India * Awan, Bhulath, a village in Kapurthala district, Punjab, India, Punjab, Pakistan ...
. Their cities were sacked; the governors, viceroys, and kings of
Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
, Waraḫše, and neighboring districts became vassals of Akkad.


Origin legends

Sargon became the subject of legendary narratives describing his rise to power from humble origins and his conquest of Mesopotamia in later Assyrian and Babylonian literature. Apart from these secondary, and partly legendary, accounts, there are many inscriptions due to Sargon himself, although the majority of these are known only from much later copies. The
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
has fragments of two Sargonic victory steles recovered from
Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
(where they were presumably transported from Mesopotamia in the
12th century BC The 12th century BC is the period from 1200 to 1101 BC. The Late Bronze Age collapse in the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean is often considered to begin in this century. Events * 1200 BC: The first civilization in Central and North ...
).


Sumerian legend

The Sumerian-language ''Sargon legend'' contains a legendary account of Sargon's rise to power. It is an older version of the previously known Assyrian legend, discovered in 1974 in
Nippur Nippur ( Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian: ''Nibbur'') was an ancient Sumerian city. It was ...
and first edited in 1983. The extant versions are incomplete, but the surviving fragments name Sargon's father as La'ibum. After a lacuna, the text skips to Ur-Zababa, king of Kish, who awakens after a dream, the contents of which are not revealed on the surviving portion of the tablet. For unknown reasons, Ur-Zababa appoints Sargon as his cup-bearer. Soon after this, Ur-Zababa invites Sargon to his chambers to discuss a dream of Sargon's, involving the favor of the goddess Inanna and the drowning of Ur-Zababa by the goddess in a river of blood. Deeply frightened, Ur-Zababa orders Sargon murdered by the hands of Beliš-tikal, the chief smith, but Inanna prevents it, demanding that Sargon stop at the gates because of his being "polluted with blood." When Sargon returns to Ur-Zababa, the king becomes frightened again and decides to send Sargon to king Lugal-zage-si of
Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Muthanna Governorate, Al ...
with a message on a clay tablet asking him to slay Sargon. The legend breaks off at this point; presumably, the missing sections described how Sargon becomes king. The part of the interpretation of the king's dream has parallels to the biblical story of
Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
, the part about the letter with the carrier's death sentence has similarities to the Greek story of
Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes (), born as Hipponous, was a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and h ...
and the biblical story of Uriah.


Birth legend

A Neo-Assyrian text from the 7th century BC purporting to be Sargon's autobiography asserts that the great king was the illegitimate son of a priestess. Only the beginning of the text (the first two columns) is known, from the fragments of three manuscripts. The first fragments were discovered as early as 1850. Sargon's birth and his early childhood are described thus: Similarities between the Sargon Birth Legend and other infant birth exposures in ancient literature, including Moses,
Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...
, and
Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...
, were noted by psychoanalyst Otto Rank in his 1909 book ''
The Myth of the Birth of the Hero ''The Myth of the Birth of the Hero'' (german: Der Mythus von der Geburt des Helden) is a book by German psychoanalyst Otto Rank in which the author puts forth a psychoanalytical interpretation of mythological heroes, specifically with regard to ...
''. The legend was also studied in detail by Brian Lewis, and compared with many different examples of the infant birth exposure motif found in European and Asian folktales. He discusses a possible archetype form, giving particular attention to the Sargon legend and the account of the birth of Moses. Joseph Campbell has also made such comparisons. Sargon is also one of the many suggestions for the identity or inspiration for the biblical
Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...
. Ewing William (1910) suggested Sargon based on his unification of the Babylonians and the Neo-Assyrian birth legend. Yigal Levin (2002) suggested that Nimrod was a recollection of Sargon and his grandson Naram-Sin, with the name "Nimrod" derived from the latter.


Family

The name of Sargon's main wife, Queen
Tashlultum Tashlultum () was a wife of King Sargon of Akkad. Her name is known to archaeology only from a single shard of an alabaster vase or bowl with an inscription indicating it was dedicated to the temple by her steward.Enheduanna was a high priestess of the moon God in Ur who composed ritual hymns. Many of her works, including her ''Exaltation of Inanna'', were in use for centuries thereafter. Sargon was succeeded by his son Rimush; after Rimush's death another son, Manishtushu, became king. Manishtushu would be succeeded by his own son, Naram-Sin. Two other sons,
Shu-Enlil Shu-Enlil (also known as Ibarum) was a son of Sargon the Great, first ruler of the Akkadian Empire. He lived in the 23rd century BCE. See also *Ibrium Ibrium (2322-2302 BC), also spelt Ebrium, was the vizier of Ebla for king Irkab-Damu and his ...
(Ibarum) and
Ilaba'is-takal Sargon of Akkad (; akk, ''Šarrugi''), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.The date of the reign of Sargon is highl ...
(Abaish-Takal), are known.


Legacy

Sargon of Akkad is sometimes identified as the first person in
recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...
to rule over an
empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
(in the sense of the central government of a multi-ethnic territory), although earlier Sumerian rulers such as Lugal-zage-si might have a similar claim. His rule also heralds the history of Semitic empires in the Ancient Near East, which, following the Neo-Sumerian interruption (21st/20th centuries BC), lasted for close to fifteen centuries until the
Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
conquest following the 539 BC Battle of Opis. Sargon was regarded as a model by Mesopotamian kings for some two millennia after his death. The Assyrian and Babylonian kings who based their empires in Mesopotamia saw themselves as the heirs of Sargon's empire. Sargon may indeed have introduced the notion of "empire" as understood in the later Assyrian period; the Neo-Assyrian ''Sargon Text'', written in the first person, has Sargon challenging later rulers to "govern the black-headed people" (i.e. the indigenous population of Mesopotamia) as he did. An important source for "Sargonic heroes" in oral tradition in the later Bronze Age is a
Middle Hittite Hittite (natively / "the language of Neša", or ''nešumnili'' / "the language of the people of Neša"), also known as Nesite (''Nešite'' / Neshite, Nessite), is an extinct Indo-European language that was spoken by the Hittites, a people ...
(15th century BC) record of a Hurro-Hittite song, which calls upon Sargon and his immediate successors as "deified kings" ( d''šarrena''). Sargon shared his name with two later Mesopotamian kings. Sargon I was a king of the Old Assyrian period presumably named after Sargon of Akkad. Sargon II was a Neo-Assyrian king named after Sargon of Akkad; it is this king whose name was rendered ''Sargon'' () in the Hebrew Bible (
Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
20:1). Neo-Babylonian king
Nabonidus Nabonidus (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-naʾid'', meaning "May Nabu be exalted" or "Nabu is praised") was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 556 BC to the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great in ...
showed great interest in the history of the Sargonid dynasty and even conducted excavations of Sargon's palaces and those of his successors.Oates, John. ''Babylon''. London: Thames and Hudson, 1979, p. 162.


Popular culture

Although historically inaccurate and
supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
in nature, '' The Scorpion King: Rise of a Warrior'' (2008) features Sargon of Akkad as a murderous army commander who uses black magic. He was the film's main villain and was portrayed by American actor and mixed martial artist
Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American actor, former U.S. Army sergeant, former mixed martial artist and former collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestler. During his tenures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he bec ...
. This is one of the few films, if not the only one, to depict Sargon. The twentieth episode of the second season of '' Star Trek: The Original Series'', "
Return to Tomorrow "Return to Tomorrow" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by John T. Dugan (under the pen-name "John Kingsbridge") and directed by Ralph Senensky, it was first b ...
", features an ancient, telepathic alien named Sargon who once ruled a mighty empire. American Rock Group
They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...
refer to Sargon of Akkad in the track "The Mesopotamians" on their 2007 album The Else, along with Hammurabi,
Ashurbanipal Ashurbanipal ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning " Ashur is the creator of the heir") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 BCE to his death in 631. He is generally remembered as the last great king of Assyria. Inheriting the throne a ...
and
Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...
.


See also

* *
History of Mesopotamia The history of Mesopotamia ranges from the earliest human occupation in the Paleolithic period up to Late antiquity. This history is pieced together from evidence retrieved from archaeological excavations and, after the introduction of writing ...
*
List of kings of Akkad The king of Akkad (Akkadian: , ') was the ruler of the city of Akkad and its empire, in ancient Mesopotamia. In the 3rd millennium BC, from the reign of Sargon of Akkad to the reign of his great-grandson Shar-Kali-Sharri, the Akkadian Empire rep ...


Notes


References

*Albright, W. F., ''A Babylonian Geographical Treatise on Sargon of Akkad's Empire'', Journal of the American Oriental Society (1925). *Bachvarova, Mary R., "Sargon the Great: from history to myth", chapter 8 in: ''From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic' '', Cambridge University Press (2016), 166–198. * Beaulieu, Paul-Alain, ''et al.'' ''A Companion to the Ancient near East''. Blackwell, 2005. *Botsforth, George W., ed. "The Reign of Sargon". ''A Source-Book of Ancient History.'' New York: Macmillan, 1912. *Cooper, Jerrold S. and Wolfgang Heimpel. "The Sumerian Sargon Legend." ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', Vol. 103, No. 1, (January–March 1983). *Foster, Benjamin R., ''The Age of Akkad. Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia'', Routledge, 2016. *Frayne, Douglas R. "Sargonic and Gutian Period." ''The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia'', Vol. 2. University of Toronto Press, 1993. *
Gadd, C. J. Cyril John Gadd, (2 July 1893 – 2 December 1969) was a British Assyriologist, Sumerologist, and curator. He was Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, British Museum from 1948 to 1955, and Professor of Ancient Semitic L ...
"The Dynasty of Agade and the Gutian Invasion." ''Cambridge Ancient History'', rev. ed., vol. 1, ch. 19. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1963. *Glassner, Jean-Jacques. ''Mesopotamian Chronicles'', Atlanta, 2004. *Grayson, Albert Kirk. ''Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles''. J. J. Augustin, 1975; Eisenbrauns, 2000. * Jacobsen, Thorkild, ''The Sumerian King List'', Assyriological Studies, No. 11, Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1939. * King, L. W.,
Chronicles Concerning Early Babylonian Kings
', II, London, 1907, pp.  87–96. * Kramer, S. Noah. ''The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and Character'', Chicago, 1963. *Kramer, S. Noah. ''History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine "Firsts" in Recorded History.'' Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. *Lewis, Brian. ''The Sargon Legend: A Study of the Akkadian Text and the Tale of the Hero Who Was Exposed at Birth.'' American Schools of Oriental Research Dissertation Series, No. 4. Cambridge, MA: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1984. *Luckenbill, D. D., ''On the Opening Lines of the Legend of Sargon'', The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures (1917). *Postgate, Nicholas. ''Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History''. Routledge, 1994. *Roux, G. ''Ancient Iraq'', London, 1980. * *Schomp, Virginia. ''Ancient Mesopotamia''. Franklin Watts, 2005. * Van de Mieroop, Marc. ''A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000–323 BC.'' Blackwell, 2006, . *Van de Mieroop, Marc., ''Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History'', Routledge, 1999. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sargon of Akkad 24th-century BC kings of Akkad 23rd-century BC kings of Akkad Founding monarchs 24th-century BC births 23rd-century BC deaths Nimrod Kings of the Universe Cup-bearers